The conventional coaxial cable typically consists of a centrally located, inner electrical conductor surrounded by and spaced inwardly from an outer cylindrical electrical conductor. The center and outer conductors are separated by a dielectric insulating sleeve, and the outer conductor is encased within a protective dielectric jacket. The outer conductor can comprise a sheath of fine braided metallic strands, a metallic foil, or multiple layer combinations of either or both.
Coaxial cable connectors are known in the art and typically include a connector body, nut, post and compression sleeve made of electrically conductive materials. These F-type coaxial cable connectors are typically threaded onto an RF port to electrically integrate coaxial cables to various electronic devices such as TV's and the like. An example of such a connector is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,257 to Szegda, herein incorporated by reference.
Snap together connectors, are known in the art and an example is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,834,675 and 4,902,246 to Samchisen or U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,662 to Stabile, et al. The Samchisen connector has a compression sleeve with an annular attachment integrally formed with one end of the sleeve. The annular attachment is also sized to fit within a shoulder portion of the connector body. This permits the compression sleeve to be packaged in combination with the connector body. To install this connector to the coaxial cable, the compression sleeve is slid over one end of the cable. The cable is then prepared by removing a portion of the cable jacket and folding the braided shield back to expose the dielectric insulation and center conductor. The compression sleeve is then separated from the connector body and the cable is inserted into the connector body. The compression sleeve is then pushed into the body until the cable is secured within the connector body and the installation is complete. The Stabile connector has a compression sleeve with a retaining ring integrally formed with one end of the compression sleeve. The retaining ring is sized to fit within a flat exterior surface of the connector body. This permits the compression sleeve to be maintained as part of the connector assembly prior to assembly of the connector. The retaining ring is disengageable from the compression sleeve prior to and during installation of the coaxial cable within the connector body.
Although this connector facilitates pre-installation handling and storage, the reality is that even in this instance the user can accidentally drop or lose the compression sleeve once it is separated from the connector body. During the installation of the connector shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,834,675 and 4,902,246 and 5,769,662 the compression sleeve must be detached from the connector body. Thus, mishandling or loss of the compression sleeve remains a serious problem during the critical installation phase, especially if the user is located in an awkward area, such as on a telephone pole.
In light of the foregoing, an objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved connector wherein the compression sleeve is not separated from the attachment during installation of the cable to the connector body. The compression sleeve remains at all times connected to the attachment prior to, during and after installation. Accordingly, this will ensure that the compression sleeve will never be lost.